This invention relates to a substrate treating apparatus for performing a series of treatments of substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical disks (hereinafter called simply “substrates”).
Conventionally, this type of apparatus includes a substrate treating apparatus used to form a resist film on substrates, and develop the substrates exposed in a separate exposing machine. This apparatus includes a treating section having, arranged therein, a coating block for carrying out resist film forming treatment, a developing block for carrying out developing treatment, and so on. Each such treating block includes a single main transport mechanism, and various treating units. The main transport mechanism of each treating block, while transporting substrates to the treating units in that block, transfers the substrates to and from the main transport mechanism of another, adjacent treating block. Thus, a plurality of substrates are successively transported to various treating units to receive a series of treatments. The series of treatments includes a process for forming resist film on the substrates and developing the substrates, for example. This process includes a plurality of different type treatments interposed by the exposing treatment in the external exposing machine. Each main transport mechanism transports the plurality of substrates in parallel to carry out successively the processes of treatment for each substrate (as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-324139, for example).
The conventional apparatus with such a construction has the following drawbacks.
For example, it may be desired to operate the apparatus such that, while putting certain of the treating units to a test run, the other treating units are used to carry out a series of treatments for substrates. Or it may be desired to operate the apparatus to carry out the process for forming resist film and developing some substrates, and at the same time to carry out the process for forming resist film on other substrates. A “process” here may include a plurality of different types of treatment, or may include a single treatment.
However, different processes between the substrates require different substrate transport paths to the various treating units. Therefore, the main transport mechanisms cannot transport the substrates efficiently. With the conventional apparatus, it is difficult to change the processes of treatment for each substrate. In other words, the conventional apparatus has difficulty in proceeding with a plurality of processes in parallel.